EPA Publication No. 381,501, commonly-owned with this application, describes a containment cuvette that is presupplied and sealed with the reagents necessary to detect selected nucleic acids that are multiplied in the cuvette. In addition, a patient's sample is injected through a port, which port is then sealed such as by heat-sealing the plastic around the port or inserting a stopper. As a result, a complete containment occurs, even through the detection stage, so that there is no risk of any multiplied nucleic acid (hereinafter, "amplified" nucleic acid) from straying from the cuvette as an aerosol to contaminate yet-to-be used cuvettes.
Such a cuvette has been very effective in testing for DNA, by allowing PCR amplification to be done safely and without contamination. However, a minor drawback exists in that the patient sample port has to be carefully sealed to ensure nucleic acid does not leak out. Whether or not heat-sealing or a mechanical stopper is used, in either case, care must be exercised as otherwise a complete seal may not occur.
Still further, other, temporary seals of the cuvette have not always held as desired.
Therefore, there has been a need prior to this invention for a method, and for features in a flexible cuvette, that allow for automatic closure of passageways such as that extending from the patient sample port after sample insertion, without requiring special care.